A Turkish truck driver was shot dead and two other men were wounded by US troops after failing to stop at a checkpoint near Baghdad, Turkish television reported today.
A US embassy spokesman in Ankara said he could not confirm the shootings, which CNN Turk said happened on Thursday evening, and was seeking more information. Turkish officials were not immediately available for comment.
NTV television said the truck had been driving from Falluja to Baghdad carrying prefabricated housing units destined for US troops and had failed to stop in time at a checkpoint.
It gave the dead driver's name as Faysal Demir and said his colleague, another Turk named Ali Musluoglu, and an Iraqi interpreter were wounded in the incident. The two Turks worked for the Tepe Construction Company, NTV said.
NTV quoted Musluoglu as saying the US soldiers had fired at the truck without warning and that he and the interpreter had been saved by Iraqi police.
A number of Turkish companies are involved in reconstruction projects in Iraq.
A Turkish truck driver bringing supplies from Kuwait to the US forces was taken prisoner by Iraqi insurgents in Falluja in early June but released on Thursday.
Seven other Turks working for a Turkish contracting firm in Iraq were released by kidnappers last weekend.